Maritime Security

Maritime Security...

...a look at Non-Lethal Protection

Within the maritime world of super tankers, super yachts, and super cruise ships, the concern for security on the high seas from pirate attacks has become a true life and death saga. No where has this become more apparent to the global community than along the eastern coast of Africa. Modern day pirates working from the shores of Somalia have become bolstered with brazened attacks on vessel passing through their waters where riches on board could, with a bit of luck, be ransomed for a treasure chest of cash.

Owners of these high profile vessels are searching for powerful, non-lethal defense systems that can safeguard their multimillion dollar investments. HPV Technologies through their international associates have been providing equipment to the commercial maritime community to coordinate a unified defense plan against the pirates.

"When an unknown vessel is moving towards our ship, the first step in our anti-piracy plan is to determine the intent of the approaching vessel..."

Vahan Simidian, CEO of HPV Technologies, describes how a layered approach has been created in their defense strategy. "When an unknown vessel is moving towards our ship, the first step in our anti-piracy plan is to determine the intent of the approaching vessel. The MAD LT-PMS speakers are without doubt the most effective tool we have to determine intent because we can speak directly to the unknown vessel. The clarity and commanding power that come out of the speaker is instantly recognized by the on-coming crew. Using the built-in PhraseLater™, our English language commands are instantly translated into their language. We can quickly determine their intent by their response to our questions and commands. If they alter their course away from our ship, then we have successfully defused the situation. If they don’t change course, then we initiate our next layer of defensive".

Simidian says that in the past maritime security has used signaling speakers that just played loud, annoying tones. “The problem was that these loud sounds could not be used to determine the vessel’s intent”, says Simidian. “However using the MAD speakers, there is now a very effective tool that gives each vessel the ability to clearly communicate at long distances so that the intent can be determined before a threat is posed”.

Integrating MAD speakers into the vessels security plan can take on several forms. Some cruise ship will keep the speakers portable so that their security teams can quickly set them up on tripod stands at the best location to address the potential threat. Tankers and container vessels frequently are outfitted with four speaker locations; the port and starboard sides and at the bow and stern. From these positions the ship can communicate with any vessel coming from any direction.

Speakers can also be mounted to pan and tilt assemblies that are remotely controlled from the ship’s bridge. Night vision cameras and lasers are also available and can also be mounted to the speaker assemblies to assist in surveillance and security. For those vessels equipped with the MAD speaker, they have an excellent non-lethal tool to incorporate into their security plan.